I had the opportunity today to enjoy a brief flight from Seattle to the San Juan Islands. It was a rare, clear, and glorious Pacific Northwest day.A day just perfect for such an adventure. As I sat in the passenger seat marveling at the beauty below, it struck me how differently things look from this vantage point. This is not a new analogy. R.W. Benwick blogged about it in an article on Strategic Thinking. The phrase has been used for everything from Biology to Religion, and even maligned as one of the 25 most annoying phrases used by managers. Perhaps, but as I was flying overhead, seeing familiar landscape so differently, I thought how, as a coach, this is what I help my coaches do: view their world from a different vantage point.And, oh, how valuable that can be! I recently had a first session with a coachee. He came to me with one issue in mind; a fairly straightforward issue. But through the process of coaching, he was able to see that there was much more behind the issue than he believed. At the end of our first hour, he smiled, sat back and marveled at the discoveries he’d had, and left excited at the work we were about to embark on together.While there are many benefits to working with a coach, I believe the two most positive factors are:Objectivity. The coach is not involved in your life and can objectively ask questions of you to help you uncover more than you are aware of. Unlike friends, significant others, or family, we have no agenda for your life and come to you with only one objective: to help you see things through a different lens and find new solutions to the things that are in the way of furthering your life or career.Future Focus. Coaching also helps keep the coachee focused on the future state. Rather than wallow in regret of things that occurred in the past, the coach keeps the coachee looking ahead to the goal they wish to achieve. This establishes a positive and optimistic view and helps the coachee see and believe the goal will be achieved.

Like most of us, I've been 'stuck' in the past and was lucky to have coaches in my life who helped me get 'unstuck'. I hate to think where I'd be today without them. The experience I had with them is what has compelled me to enter this profession where my goal each and every day is to improve the life of another person. Every client is a gift, an opportunity to change the world, one person at a time.

People marvel at what I've accomplished in the last few years. I've launched my coaching business full time, quit my 'day job' and moved myself across country - all successfully! I've always said I didn't feel like I was doing anything extraordinary. I just knew what I wanted and felt it was the only path to follow to live MY life MY way. Some days, it even felt selfish. I left behind a job I enjoyed, family, friends, a life I'd come to know; all to fulfill my dream of returning to Seattle and coaching full time. It was all for me. I'm sure many of my readers feel the same way. There is something you want from life, but something stronger is holding you back. Let's talk about that a little.

Absolutely, when I first told my family that I was going to return to Seattle, I met resistance, a LOT of resistance. It was unsettling and made me sad, even mad at times. But the one thing I never lost was my decision. I knew with all my heart and soul that the only life for me was back in Seattle; the only place I could live and be happy. Friends and coworkers supported my decision wholeheartedly even though it meant I'd be 3000 miles away. After all, they had somewhere to visit.

Challenges? Sure, there were plenty. Sell my house, give/sell away more than half my belongings to downsize. Find a place to live. Make ALL the decisions alone because I was doing this alone. Hire movers, pack belongings, say goodbye, make all transportation arrangements for me and my two cats. Yes, there were many challenges, but they all fell into place, one by one. With each new challenge met, I became more sure this was the right thing to do.

So, what about you? People tell me they can't do it because they're single. So was I. Or they tell me they aren't brave. I don't think I am either. I just knew that I have one life to live and I have to live it how and where I know I am happiest. It just takes soul-searching, knowing what you want from your life, doing the prep work to get there and making the commitment it will take to sustain you. You CAN do it!

Many of my clients are drawn to me because of my story. In me, they see the dreams they have come to fruition. an optimism and can-do attitude that if you dream it and believe it, you CAN achieve it! Go ahead. LIVE your dreams!

Author

Andrea's passion is to see you achieve your professional dreams. Whether you are a corporate leader seeking leadership development for your employees or an individual seeking guidance in building your career or preparing for retirement, she will coach you to success.

Follow Andrea's journey through life, change, and growth at boldlybicoastal.wordpress.com